Vehicle-wheel.



No. 832,950. PATENTED OCT. 9, 1906.

, H. BELL. VEHICLE WHEELp APPLICATION FILED NOV. 7. 1905.

HARRY BELL, OF STAMFORD, CONNECTICUT.

ViEHEGLE-"WHEEL.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 9, 1906.

Application filed November 7,1905. Serial No. 286,174.

To all whom it may cancer? Be it known that I, HAaRY BELL, a citizen ofth e- United States, residing at Stamford,

county of Fairfield, and State of Connecticut,

ing mterposed between the rim have invented certain new and usefulImprovements 1n Vehicle-i vheels, fully described and representedin thefollowing specification and the accompanyingdrawings, forming a part ofthe same.

The great demand for resilient. vehiclewheels is at known pneumatictires. giving excellent results, are OlJJGCtlODitbiQ, as is well known,not only on account of great initial-00st,. but on account of lack ofdura-' in a fell and an outer rim there bein 'reb I D silient ballslocated between the rim and the felly serving the same purpose assprings; but these ball-emp oying constructions have been impracticablefor various reasons. In some of them the ball-reta1n1ng construction wasnot of such a character as to permit the proper construction of thewheel and at the same time retain the outer rim in position thereon. Inother proposed constructions the ball-retaining devices have been ofsuch a character as to allow too much circumferen.

tial movement of the rim. felly or else devices were employed forlimiting this movement which had serious disadvantages in theconstruction-of the wheel as a whole. Further, these proposedconstructions were expensive to build and impractical for that reason.

The present invention has for its object to produce a comparativelyinexpensive, simple, and effective wheel of the resilient type in whichan outer rim is employed in connection with respect to the with thefelly, the rim being held in position by resilient couplings interposedbetween it and the any,

the construction being such the present time almost universally filledby providing wheels with the well- These tires, while 'binations,

construction.

struction shown solid balls such balls being cheap to with hollow balls.

that the rim is efiectively maintained in position by cident to running,and at the, same time excessive movement in an Y direction is preventedby the coupling-holding construction.

With this and other objects in view the invention consists in certainconstructions and in certain parts, improvements, and comsuch as will behereinafter fully described and then specifically pointed out.

Referring to the drawings, Figure 1 is a side elevation of a wheelembodying the improved Fig. 2 is a sectional view of the wheelconstructionillustrated in Fig. l, and Fig. is a similar "viewillustrating a modification.

The wheel which has been selectedto'illustrat-e the invention is in itsgeneral characteristicsof the well-known artillery type. The hub of thewheel is indicated at 1, the spokes at 2, and the usual spoke-holdingplates at 3. V fhen a wheel of this type is selected to embody theinvention, the folly (indicated at 4) may be of any usual construction.In the best constructions, however, the folly will be held inposition-on the spokes by suitablaretaining devices, such, for instance,as circumferential metal rings 5, which prevent any' outward movement ofthe parts of the folly.

The wheel will be provided .vith an outer rim which is spaced from thefolly to provide for the reception of the coupling devices hereinafterreferred to, and the construction will be such that access may be had tothe space between the rim and the felly by removing certain parts sothat the coupling de vices may be inserted. In the construction shownthe rim consists generally of two circular parts 6 and 7, these parts,however, be-

ing, if desired, made up of inde endent sections. The parts of the rimwi I be detachably held together by any suitable means.

In the particular construction illustrated bolts 8, which pass throughthe. parts of the fell der ffo secure the necessary resiliency and atthe same time to hold the rim in position. with respect-to the felly, aseries of separate elastic connecting devices or couplings are employed,which in the best constructions will be in the shapeof balls.

9 are employed, make and while roviding for the necessary resiliency arenot liable to crack or break in use, as is the case In the particularconthe couplings against the strains inare employed for this purpose. Inor- In the condo not materially impair the strength of the in positionby opposing structing the particular wheel struction illustrated thefelly is provided with a series of concave recesses 10, which arespaced. a art circumferentially, and the rim is provi ed with similarrecesses 11, which when the parts of the wheel are assembled lieopposite the recesses 10, the balls 9 being held recesses. Inconillustrated it is importantthat the inner circumference of the outerrim lie so close to the outer circumference of the felly as to make itimpossible to remove the balls without separating the parts of the rim.With this construction the strains to which the wheels are subjected inrunning cannot'force the balls or couplings out of the recesses, andthere is therefore no chance that the rim can become separated from thefelly, so that the balls or couplings may be relied upon as the solemeans for conmeeting the felly and rim.

By spacing the separate elastic couplings proper distances apart and byholding them properly these couplings Wlll, if properlyconstructed-allow the rim to have the necessar movements to m he thewheel resilient an at the same time will prevent excessive movements.-It is not necessary, therefore,

to employ stops to prevent excessive circumferential movement, whichstops in order to be efl'ective. have to be very, strongly made,especiall on heavy vehicles, such as motor cars, an which are difficultto secure in position without weakening the felly and rim.

In order to secure roper traction, the rim may be provided wit asuitable outer tire.

In the construction illustrated a solid or cushion tire is indicated at12, this tire being held in position by clencher-rings 13. Underordinary circumstances and when balls are employed the ball-holdingrecesses will have the shape of segments of a sphere the diameter ofwhich is such as to cause the balls to snugly fit in the recesses, eachrecess enveloping somewhat less than one-half the circumference of theball. If it be desired, however, to increase the resiliency, this may bedone by cutting away the interior of the recesses slightly,as'indiea'ted at 14 in Fig. 3, so that less of the ball-surface is incontact with the walls of the recesses. Care should be taken, however,not to cut away the recesses too much, as too much resiliency isnotdesirable in the wheel. In the best constructions,

and asshown, the recesses will be formed in such a way as to lie whollywithin the edges of the felly, as recesses formed in this manner felly.Further, in the best constructions, and as shown, the outer rim will beformed in such away that the division or joint between the two sidesthereof will occur at about the middle of the tread, a half of each ofthe recesses 1 1 being formed in each part of the rim, as the strengthof the rim is conserved by this construction.

' parts of t A metal tire, as indicated at 15, may be employed betweenthe outer tire and the rim for the purposes of additional strength; butcare should be taken in putting this tire on not to cause it to bind sotightly as to prevent the ready removal of the parts of rim on one side,thus preventing access to the elastic couplings for .the purpose ofremoval. The opening between the rim and the felly should be leftuncovered, as this will enable the spaces between said couplings to bewashed out, thus preventing. the caking of mud and dirt therein.

, Changes and variations may be made in the construction by which theinvention is to be carried into effect. The invention is not,

'therefore, to be limited to the precise construction shown anddescribed.

What is claimed is 1. In a vehicle-wheel, the combination with a felly,of a rim, these parts beingprovided with odpposed coupling -'retainingrecesses forme of substantially solid separate elastic couplings locatedin the recesses and serving to ,form the sole connection between the rimand the felly thus permitting the rim to have limited movements with resect to the felly which are controlled by t e couplings, the innercircumference of the rim lying so close to the felly that the couplingscannot befremoved or forced out between the two.

2. In a vehicle-wheel, the combination with a felly, of a rim spacedtherefrom, these;

osed coupling? parts being provided with op retaining recesses formed int e felly and rim, and one of said parts having aremovable portionorportions to permit access to the space therebetween, separate elasticcouplings located in the recesses and serving to form the soleconnection between the rim and the felly, thus permitting the rim tohave limited movements with respect to by the couplings, the rim lyingso couplings cannot be removed or forced out from between the two.

the inner circumference of in the felly and rim, a series close to thefelly'that the Too a series of substantially solid the felly which arecontrolled 3. In a vehicle-wheel, the combination witha felly, of aseparable rimindepe'ndent of the felly, means for detachably holding the'e r'm together, aseries of separate substantially solid elasticcouplings between the rim and the felly, said couplings formin the soleconnection by which the rim is held to the felly and permitting the rimto have limited movements with res ect to the felly which movements arecontro led by the couplings, the inner circumference of the rim lying soclose to the felly that the couplings can be removed only by separatingthe partsof the rim.

4. In a vehicle -wheel, the combination with a felly having a series ofcoupling-retainingrecesses therein, saidrecesses being spaced apartcircumferentially of the folly, a

separable rim having spaced recesses therein corresponding in positionwith those in the felly, a series of resilient substantially solidcouplings, each coupling being held in pocouplings.

5. In a vehicle-wheel, the combination with a felly having a series ofball-retaining recesses therein, said recesses being spaced apartcircumferentially of the folly, an outer rim formed of separable parts,each part being so. hollowed out that when the parts are joined, the rimhas-recesses. corres ending in position with the recesses of the fell aseries of resilient balls held in position by the opposing recesses ofthe folly and rim, and serving to hold the felly and rim together, andmeans for detachably connecting the parts of the rim.

6. In a vehicle-wheel, the combination with a felly having a series ofcircumferem -tially-s aced ball-retaining recesses therein which ieentirelywithin the ed es of the felly, a separable rim, the parts of therim being hollowed out to form recesses which when the parts of the rimare joined correspond in position with those of the felly, a series ofresilient balls held in position by opposing recesses of the felly andrim and servmg to hold the rim on the felly, the inner circumference ofthe rim lying sufliciently close to the circumference of the felly toprevent the removal of the balls except by separating the parts of therim.

7. In a vehicle wheel, the combination with a felly having a series'ofcircumferentially-spaced ball-retaining recesses therein which heentirely within the edges of the felly, means for retaining the felly inposition, a separable rim, the parts of the rim being hollowed out toform recesses which when the parts of the rim are joined correspond inposition with those of the felly, a series of resilient balls held inposition by opposing recesses of the fell 7 and rim and serving to holdthe rim on the elly, the inner circumference of the rim lyingsuificiently close to the circumference of the felly to prevent theremoval of the balls except by separating the parts of the rim.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in the presence of twosubscribing Witnesses.

HARRY BELL.

